THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book I: Chapter 33
THE GOLDEN EAGLE IS CUT TO PIECES. HEROD’S
BARBARITY WHEN HE WAS READY TO DIE. HE ATTEMPTS TO
KILL HIMSELF. HE COMMANDS ANTIPATER TO BE S LAIN. HE
SURVIVES HIM FIVE DAYS AND THEN DIES. 1. NOW Herod’s
distemper became more and more severe to him, and this
because these his disorders fell upon him in his old
age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he
was already seventy years of age, and had been brought
by the calamities that happened to him about his
children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even
when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater
was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he
resolved to put to death now not at random, but as
soon as he should be well again, and resolved to have
him slain [in a public manner].
2. There also now happened to him, among his other
calamities, a certain popular sedition. There were two
men of learning in the city [Jerusalem,] who were
thought the most skillful in the laws of their
country, and were on that account had in very great
esteem all over the nation; they were, the one Judas,
the son of Sepphoris, and the other Mattbias, the son
of Margalus. There was a great concourse of the young
men to these men when they expounded the laws, and
there got together every day a kind of an army of such
as were growing up to be men. Now when these men were
informed that the king was wearing away with
melancholy, and with a distemper, they dropped words
to their acquaintance, how it was now a very proper
time to defend the cause of God, and to pull down what
had been erected contrary to the laws of their
country; for it was unlawful there should be any such
thing in the temple as images, or faces, or the like
representation of any animal whatsoever. Now the king
had put up a golden eagle over the great gate of the
temple, which these learned men exhorted them to cut
down; and told them, that if there should any danger
arise, it was a glorious thing to die for the laws of
their country; because that the soul was immortal, and
that an eternal enjoyment of happiness did await such
as died on that account; while the mean-spirited, and
those that
were not wise enough to show a right love of their
souls, preferred a death by a disease, before that
which is the result of a virtuous behavior.
3. At the same time that these men made this speech
to their disciples, a rumor was spread abroad that the
king was dying, which made the young men set about the
work with greater boldness; they therefore let
themselves down from the top of the temple with thick
cords, and this at midday, and while a great number of
people were in the temple, and cut down that golden
eagle with axes. This was presently told to the king’s
captain of the temple, who came running with a great
body of soldiers, and caught about forty of the young
men, and brought them to the king. And when he asked
them, first of all, whether they had been so hardy as
to cut down the golden eagle, they confessed they had
done so; and when he asked them by whose command they
had done it, they replied, at the command of the law
of their country; and when he further asked them how
they could be so joyful when they were to be put to
death, they replied, because they should enjoy greater
happiness after they were dead. 48
4. At this the king was in such an extravagant
passion, that he overcame his disease [for the time,]
and went out, and spake to the people; wherein he made
a terrible accusation against those men, as being
guilty of sacrilege, and as making greater attempts
under pretense of their law, and he thought they
deserved to be punished as impious persons. Whereupon
the people were afraid lest a great number should be
found guilty and desired that when he had first
punished those that put them upon this work, and then
those that were caught in it, he would leave off his
anger as to the rest. With this the king complied,
though not without difficulty, and ordered those that
had let themselves down, together with their Rabbins,
to be burnt alive, but delivered the rest that were
caught to the proper officers, to be put to death by
them.
5. After this, the distemper seized upon his whole
body, and greatly disordered all its parts with
various symptoms; for there was a gentle fever upon
him, and an intolerable itching over all the surface
of his body, and continual pains in his colon, and
dropsical turnouts about his feet, and an inflammation
of the abdomen, and a putrefaction of his privy
member,
that produced worms. Besides which he had a
difficulty of breathing upon him, and could not
breathe but when he sat upright, and had a convulsion
of all his members, insomuch that the diviners said
those diseases were a punishment upon him for what he
had done to the Rabbins. Yet did he struggle with his
numerous disorders, and still had a desire to live,
and hoped for recovery, and considered of several
methods of cure. Accordingly, he went over Jordan, and
made use of those hot baths at Callirrhoe, which ran
into the lake Asphaltitis, but are themselves sweet
enough to be drunk. And here the physicians thought
proper to bathe his whole body in warm oil, by letting
it down into a large vessel full of oil; whereupon his
eyes failed him, and he came and went as if he was
dying; and as a tumult was then made by his servants,
at their voice he revived again. Yet did he after this
despair of recovery, and gave orders that each soldier
should have fifty drachmae a-piece, and that his
commanders and friends should have great sums of money
given them.
6. He then returned back and came to Jericho, in
such a melancholy state of body as almost threatened
him with present death, when he proceeded to attempt a
horrid wickedness; for he got together the most
illustrious men of the whole Jewish nation, out of
every village, into a place called the Hippodrome, and
there shut them in. He then called for his sister
Salome, and her husband Alexas, and made this speech
to them: “I know well enough that the Jews will keep a
festival upon my death however, it is in my power to
be mourned for on other accounts, and to have a
splendid funeral, if you will but be subservient to my
commands. Do you but take care to send soldiers to
encompass these men that are now in custody, and slay
them immediately upon my death, and then all Judea,
and every family of them, will weep at it, whether
they will or no.”
7. These were the commands he gave them; when there
came letters fromhis ambassadors at Rome, whereby
information was given that Acme was put to death at
Caesar’s command, and that Antipater was condemned to
die; however, they wrote withal, that if Herod had a
mind rather to banish him, Caesar permitted him so to
do. So he for a little while revived, and had a desire
to live; but presently after he was overborne by his
pains, and was disordered by want of food, and by a
convulsive cough, and endeavored to prevent a natural,
death; so he took an apple, and asked for a knife for
he used to pare apples and eat them; he then looked
round
about to see that there was nobody to hinder him,
and lift up his right hand as if he would stab
himself; but Achiabus, his first cousin, came running
to him, and held his hand, and hindered him from so
doing; on which occasion a very great lamentation was
made in the palace, as if the king were expiring. As
soon as ever Antipater heard that, he took courage,
and with joy in his looks, besought his keepers, for a
sum of money, to loose him and let him go; but the
principal keeper of the prison did not only obstruct
him in that his intention, but ran and told the king
what his design was; hereupon the king cried out
louder than his distemper would well bear, and
immediately sent some of his guards and slew Antipater;
he also gave order to have him buried at Hyrcanium,
and altered his testament again, and therein made
Archclaus, his eldest son, and the brother of Antipas,
his successor, and made Antipas tetrarch.
8. So Herod, having survived the slaughter of his
son five days, died, having reigned thirty-four years
since he had caused Antigonus to be slain, and
obtained his kingdom; but thirty-seven years since he
had been made king by the Romans. Now as for his
fortune, it was prosperous in all other respects, if
ever any other man could be so, since, from a private
man, he obtained the kingdom, and kept it so long, and
left it to his own sons; but still in his domestic
affairs he was a most unfortunate man. Now, before the
soldiers knew of his death, Salome and her husband
came out and dismissed those that were in bonds, whom
the king had commanded to be slain, and told them that
he had altered his mind, and would have every one of
them sent to their own homes. When these men were
gone, Salome, told the soldiers [the king was dead],
and got them and the rest of the multitude together to
an assembly, in the amphitheater at Jericho, where
Ptolemy, who was intrusted by the king with his signet
ring, came before them, and spake of the happiness the
king had attained, and comforted the multitude, and
read the epistle which had been left for the soldiers,
wherein he earnestly exhorted them to bear good-will
to his successor; and after he had rea
d the epistle,
he opened and read his testament, wherein Philip was
to inherit Trachonitis, and the neighboring countries,
and Antipas was to be tetrarch, as we said before, and
Archelaus was made king. He had also been commanded to
carry Herod’s ring to Caesar, and the settlements he
had made, sealed up, because Caesar was to be Lord of
all the settlements he had made, and was to confirm
his testament; and he
ordered that the dispositions he had made were to
be kept as they were in his former testament.
9. So there was an acclamation made to Archelaus,
to congratulate him upon his advancement; and the
soldiers, with the multitude, went round about in
troops, and promised him their good-will, and besides,
prayed God to bless his government. After this, they
betook themselves to prepare for the king’s funeral;
and Archelaus omitted nothing of magnificence therein,
but brought out all the royal ornaments to augment the
pomp of the deceased. There was a bier all of gold,
embroidered with precious stones, and a purple bed of
various contexture, with the dead body upon it,
covered with purple; and a diadem was put upon his
head, and a crown of gold above it, and a secptre in
his right hand; and near to the bier were Herod’s
sons, and a multitude of his kindred; next to which
came his guards, and the regiment of Thracians, the
Germans. also and Gauls, all accounted as if they were
going to war; but the rest of the army went foremost,
armed, and following their captains and officers in a
regular manner; after whom five hundred of his
domestic servants and freed-men followed, with sweet
spices in their hands: and the body was carried two
hundred furlongs, to Herodium, where he had given
order to be buried. And this shall suffice for the
conclusion of the life of Herod.
|
